Fran, Are There Any Male Viera?
by Gentle Breezes
Summary: The group is on they're way to Mount Bur-Omisace and ask Fran that age old question: are there any male Viera? Some slight Fran/Balthier.


**Disclaimer: **I'm not the one responsible for creating Final Fantasy XII. I just bought the game. (And loved it!)

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Fran sat on a bench, overlooking the view of the sky. The breeze of Bhujerba felt fantastic as it ran through her cascading hair and wrapped around her thin frame. Up until now, the entire group had been traveling around doing a little training. Everyone had agreed this would be a trip dedicated to become stronger, but even Fran knew it would inevitably turn into sight-seeing. They currently had Larsa in their charge, and the younger Humes had been eager to show him the world outside of Archades. Balthier stood little chance against the pouting faces of the young ones, and eventually surrendered to the plan. Bhujerba was their last stop before taking Larsa with them to Mount Bur-Omisace to see the Gran Kiltas.

She heard footsteps coming towards her and turned her head to see Penelo and Ashe drawing nearer. They were talking to each other about something that appeared to be very intriguing. She smiled softly as she saw the two stop for a moment, Ashe smiling as Penelo giggled. So even this hardened princess was capable of a smile? Larsa and Vaan were trailing behind them, looking interested in the conversation but slightly unamused at how girly their friends were being. They made their way to Fran, Penelo sitting by her and the rest standing near the railing. Penelo took something out of the bag she was carrying and handed it to Fran.

"Here Fran. We got food since we know it's about lunch time. Nono won't have to cook for us today!"

Fran looked down at the sandwich for a moment and then carefully took it out of Penelo's hand. "Thank you," she said, catching a glimpse of Penelo's grinning face before she began passing out the rest of her sandwiches. Just looking at this small Hume made all her doubts about other Humes disappear. If every other Hume could have at least some of the goodness Penelo did, perhaps the Viera of the Wood wouldn't be so eager to stay within their own world.

Her train of thought was interrupted by a familiar sight. She saw her flying partner, Balthier, stroll up nonchalantly to a Bhujerban girl a little ways away from them and give her a charming hello. This was a typical scene that Fran would watch, and usually she had been above who he flirted with because she hadn't cared. But for a while now, she had started to feel a slight tugging at her heart whenever he did this.

And this train of thought was, in turn, interrupted by Vaan's voice. "Hey Fran?"

She turned towards Vaan, who was leaning towards her with a face full of curiosity. The memory of when he asked her how old she was came to mind. Something between a small chuckle and a snort of amusement threatened to escape her lips upon thinking of this.

"Penelo was talking about this earlier, but...are there any male Viera?"

Out of the corner of her eye, Fran saw Ashe shake her head at Vaan in her usual manner, although curiosity flickered in her own eyes. She saw Larsa raise an eyebrow at Vaan to the effect that she could see the words "you idiot" hanging above his head. And she saw Penelo's face looking like it was somewhere between hoping and fear. Penelo turned silently to Fran, not sure whether to apologize or not.

"Fran...I..." Penelo began timidly. This Hume girl knew that the memories of the Wood still stung Fran's heart. That's why she probably avoided asking any questions.

A mixture of things entered Fran's mind. She admitted that in spite of her better judgment, it was actually fun sometimes to put her Hume companions in suspense concerning what she would do next. It was also refreshing that these Humes had decency enough to ask her questions like this instead of other, more lewd inquiries.

She looked at the whole situation from a Hume's perspective. It was true that almost nobody had ever heard of the male Viera, much less seen one, and that the Viera had wanted to keep it that way. And because of her intimidating appearance and obvious refusal to talk about the home she left, they were all probably expecting some sort of harsh stare back. No wonder Penelo looked so apologetic. Balthier turned from his female target and was looking towards the group. It amazed Fran that he could sense when the group's mood was changing, regardless of how far away he was. He was watching her carefully, looking prepared to come over and restore order should the need arise.

Fran smiled a little at Penelo, causing the girl to relax a bit in surprise. "Although one does not hear of them outside the Wood, it is true that they exist."

The whole group immediately raised their eyebrows at once, and Vaan's expression was one close to priceless. One by one, all of them smiled. Even Ashe was taken with the subject, even as she presiding over the rest of them like a parent would a bunch of children.

"Really?" Vaan said, standing up in front of Fran.

"Well, it makes sense," Penelo said, putting a finger up to her chin thoughtfully. "After all, it would be strange if there were only girls."

Everyone nodded in concurrence. Without looking at him, Fran could feel Balthier smile as the group returned to normalcy, but she also sensed his curiosity stretching out towards them.

"So...what are they like?" Penelo asked cautiously, fiddling with the wrapper of her sandwich. Larsa, ever observant as he was, looked at Penelo unsurely and then back at Fran to see her reaction.

Fran thought for a moment, gathering up all her memories. "They are much like my sisters. They are certainly taller in stature than Humes."

"And they have ears like you do too?" Vaan asked, making a gesture on the top of his head with two fingers.

"I'm sure they do," Ashe said in an annoyed but amused tone. "If not, they wouldn't be Viera."

Penelo shook her head with a smile at her companion and turned back to Fran, ready for more explanation. Fran didn't really know how to expand in a way that a Hume would understand. Humes and Viera thought very differently about their female and male counterparts.

"They are strong, like our women. We take care of most of the medicines of the forest, although we also hunt. Our brothers keep to themselves deep within the Wood, studying her and looking after her animals, doing much more hunting than we. They are also the ones we may depend on should we not have the strength to complete a task on our own."

"So, they never come to the edge of the Wood unless something's wrong?" Penelo said, puzzled. "It takes a lot for something to go wrong in such a place. I don't even wanna imagine what it would take to bring them out. But if so, they must be incredibly strong."

Everyone's attention was now heavily focused on the topic at hand. Ashe's condescending manner was beginning to melt as she leaned forward to hear more. Larsa actually looked his age for once, staring the way he was now.

"Yes, they are incredibly strong," Fran continued, resting her hands one over the other on her lap. "Although it does not only take trouble to bring them to where the women of my village reside."

"Really?" Vaan said again, growing more enraptured with each passing moment. "Like what?"

"Well, there are days when they walk among us to rest. Like our lives, their lives are long. But even they must take time to silence their minds and be at ease so they may continue to protect the Wood and hunt. They do not come in large groups, but they will come every so often to walk among us and talk with us. They will also come when it is time to choose a mate."

Everyone's eyes widened at this statement.

"They...arrange their marriages?" Larsa asked.

"In a way, they do. When a male Viera chooses a female, she must also agree with him. But when he finds the correct one, they remain bonded even if they do not spend time in each others company often."

"And when they choose a partner, what do they look for?" Penelo asked. Fran was able to see her imagination dancing behind her eyes.

"When choosing a mate, Viera will choose the strongest partner they can find, or the one most suited to their abilities."

Everyone gave Fran strange looks. Indeed, this was going to be difficult to explain.

"In my time in the world of Humes, I have learned of what they look for in a mate. A Hume's time is short, whereas a Viera's time is long, and Humes are set in different circumstances. While a Hume will rush to find a mate at an early age, Viera wait for one lifetime to go by before they consider choosing someone. This is the way they can be sure of their abilities and also of those who may be able to match them."

"So, you don't marry someone because you love them?" Ashe said, sending everyone into looks of astonishment for a moment.

Fran sighed, diving briefly into her thoughts. "We take into account the concept of love, but it is not our first priority. Protecting the Wood herself is every Viera's responsibility and most important task in life. When a Viera chooses someone, they choose another who may help them protect the Wood to the best of their ability. After which, love may be free to grow whenever it may and in whatever way it can."

The group of Humes surrounding her gave thought to this, taking in the new concept. Her culture was such a different thing compared to theirs.

"Attraction isn't taken into account?" Vaan said, almost getting jabbed in his side by Larsa.

"It is not as if a Viera and his mate aren't attracted to each other. Our ways of attraction are different from the ways of Humes, but I cannot say that it is completely different," she said, running her hand through her hair for a moment.

Ashe and Penelo looked at each other, then back at Fran. "What do you mean?" Penelo asked.

"Even though we are not Humes, we are not ignorant of how another Viera looks. Such attributes are not our greatest concern, but it is not as if we revile having a partner that is pleasing to the eye." Fran couldn't help the small smile coming over her face when she saw Penelo try to think of how a male Viera looked, her cheeks growing pink rather quickly. Female Viera begot very decided reactions from male Humes. If a male Viera ever found his way into the society of Humes, Fran didn't doubt for a moment the effect would be the same on female Humes. Larsa and Vaan looked agitated at the imaginings of their female counterparts.

"So what's a male Viera look like anyway?" Vaan asked, as if out to prove something. Larsa knew he didn't have much to prove being the young boy he was, but he looked determined as he awaited Fran's response. Vaan looked around the port and tried to find a comparison. "What about...hmm...hey, women seem to flood around Balthier a lot. Do they look like Balthier?" he said, pointing in said person's direction only to receive a glare from the leading man himself. For a split second, Fran caught the look on Balthier's face as he awaited the answer to her question. So, it turns out he _could_ hear most of what the group was saying. And although Fran knew better, she had spent her time among Humes long enough to know how to tease them for amusement.

"Of course not," Fran said, but not in a way that meant the Viera were any less than the man in question. Ashe and Penelo leaned toward Fran to hear more. Vaan looked dejected since he had no chance of winning against the looks of a male Viera if he couldn't even beat a sky pirate. Balthier looked at them a bit in disbelief. His female target was gone, so he eyed the group curiously, hesitating to walk into a conversation that had just glanced off of him.

"As I said before," she continued, her tone not giving way to her partial smugness, "they are much like our sisters. They are dark in skin color and tall in stature. They are strong, so you could say that they are somewhat muscular." Her facial expression remained the same, but her eyes laughed ever-so-slightly at the leading man's reaction to her statement as well as the reactions of Penelo and Ashe. "They are very accomplished hunters because of their strength, and will go against even large beasts in small groups. They're bravery is something I know cannot be matched by others outside of the Wood. They protect my sisters just as we protect them."

"Oh," Penelo said in a tone that denoted more melting than acknowledgment.

"And, they are kind people?" Ashe said, both she and Fran knowing this was going against the Queen's usual, constant nature.

"They are much like my sisters and I in the way they act," she said, knowing how stoic she was compared to the rest of her company. "But they are not without kind attributes. They will help us should we require aid, and are most gentle with their mates." Balthier was almost right behind Vaan and Larsa now, who were both growing annoyed with how much Penelo and Ashe looked as if they were closer to swooning than before.

"When did they come and help you and the others?" Penelo said, her curiosity flaring up as much as the pink on her cheeks.

"It was a long time ago, within the span of my first lifetime. We were not in sore need of help, however the Marlboro of the Golmore jungle were rampaging outside of our home. It was more troublesome than threatening, but with their help we managed to rid ourselves of the fiends. They also took care of our wounded since we had endured more of the Marlboro attacks and poisons than they. After granting us relief and nursing us back to health, they left." Fran watched everyone's awed faces as their imaginations took flight; Balthier's included, although against his will.

"Were you ever saved by someone like that when you were in the Wood?" Penelo said, almost on the edge of her seat. The air went stagnant as silence prevailed. Balthier, for all his fancy talk and suave attitude, couldn't help the small gulp that went down his throat. That reaction, Fran thought, had been worth her trouble.

She looked to the side for a moment, recalling her memories of the Wood. A smile, although not a large one, spread across her face. She looked down to the ground and breathed out a small chuckle, then got up.

"Not at all."

But something in her tone said the complete opposite. The girls objected in spite of themselves and asked Fran about it, and Vaan swiftly told them that if Fran didn't want to say anything, then they shouldn't force her. And Larsa, despite his usually rational behavior, joined in. He was the only person Fran felt sorry for in this conversation, as he had nothing to do with her teasing. Balthier simply shook his head at the ramblings of the two boys, silencing them long enough to say they should go board the Strahl. Basch was asleep on the ship and they shouldn't leave the supposedly dead Captain alone. They had been detained long enough anyway, and they still had things to do before heading to Mt. Bur-Omisace. Vaan almost pushed the two girls away from Fran towards the stairs, and Larsa followed with his shoulders sagging. Fran stood there a moment, looking at them walk off. In spite of everything, she really did enjoy their company. Balthier stood there for a moment as well, not knowing what to say.

"Well, I suppose we should move forward and get away from this city," he said, his usual manner returned but a slight crease in between his eyebrows. She nodded in compliance, and started off. They walked in silence down the street for a few minutes until he spoke up again. "That was certainly an interesting collection of stories you spoke of. I hope they have at least some truth in them," he teased, a question only others aside from himself would ask with no ulterior motive.

"They are not fiction," she said, answering as if he wasn't fishing for something. "I told them things that are facts of my people." She noticed him tense up at this. He looked over and studied her for a moment, trying to figure out is she was teasing him or not.

"So you have gotten rescued by these men of mystery then?" he said, putting his hands in his pocket, unknowingly increasing his pace a little.

"That is a tale for another day," she said to him, smiling in spite of herself. This would be one of the few times her tricks would work on him.

"You still speak in riddles after all these years," he said, smiling as well, but still evidently troubled over her response.

"It is something I have learned from Humes," she said as she walked into the aerodome.

She moved forward to the waiting crowd of her fellow travelers, making sure they hadn't gone too far off and left her behind. Balthier stood there a moment and watched the graceful figure of his Viera partner go towards the group. His smile was filled with irony. He'd always thought himself a master at teasing people and leaving women guessing. Ever since the day he'd met Fran, his tricks didn't seem to work on her. And on top of it all, she was the only one that kept him guessing.

"Hmm…maybe I like it that way," he muttered with a genuine smile before jogging into the aerodome. For all the ridiculous things he did to get her to notice him, even flirt with other women to make her jealous, he might as well be clueless. Nevertheless, she had always been his only target.

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Well well, a Fran and Balthier fanfic!

I really do enjoy the interactions these two have in the games. Also, I've always wondered about the male Viera. I figured out they existed after looking it up on the internet, but they've never been shown. Hmm...

Anyway, I hope you liked this! Let me know what you think. Was it a good read, did it tank, et cetera. Feedback is absolute gold!

Thank you for reading!


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